A Bit Late This Year But People Seemed To Love Last Year’s So Here’s One Updated For 2021. Again,

Imbolc Spread

Here is a simple four card spread that you can do to welcome the changing of seasons!

Imbolc marks the halfway point between winter and summer, and is the perfect time to prepare for the coming spring. Read more about Imbolc here.

Past: What can you learn from the past season? Winter can be rough for some people, maybe you were put through the wringer this past season too. What is something you can glean from this experience so that you can learn from this?

Present: What energy do you need to bring into this next season? It’s important to learn from the past and plan for the future, but make sure you are able to stay present and grounded even as the weather is bleak. So, what energy should you bring with you into this changing of seasons that can help you to learn, prepare, and pursue what you need to?

Prepare: Anything you would need to prepare for this coming season? This is the time of the year that farmers and gardeners start to prep their lands and plant their seeds for the spring; what is something you can prepare for that you will need to grow or nurture in the springtime?

Pursue: What is something you need to pursue during this time? This could be a goal that you set earlier this year but you have yet to follow through on, is this something you could be pursuing now, during this halfway between winter and spring?

I haven't done this exact spread yet, I plan to do it the day of Imbolc. I'll share my experience with it if I feel like it's ok to share :)

Let me know if you try out this spread, I would love to know how you feel about it!!!

Keep My Name Out Of Your Fucking Mouth ~ Binding curse

Howdy y'all! I was dealing with some bullshit that I would rather not deal with but a las, here I am. Anyways, did a little thing and thought I'd share for anyone who has to work with absolute vain, dumb pieces of shit like me. Please excuse how cringe the writing is, I really let my 13 year old emo me run wild with this but it felt fantastic to cast. As always, when cursing and hexing please make sure you stay safe. Ground yourself before hand, cleanse yourself after, don't damage yourself just to get one over on someone else. Happy casting.

Ingredients:

your rage

a black candle(ideally taper but a tealight or whatever will do just fine)

twine(so they feel like they're suffocating)

a sharp utensil or needle to carve said candle

Steps:

Carve the target's name into the black taper candle with the needle . Put a circle around their name and a giant X over the circle. This is to symbolize a bound mouth.

Wrap the candle with twine, visualizing the person being bound and silenced. Please practice fire safety. DO NOT LEAVE UNATTENDED. Keep in a safe dish or simply opt out of the twine if you know you don't want to sit there the whole time.

Light the black taper and say the incantation below. Let the candle burn down completely or fully past the engraving, focusing on your intent throughout the process.

Dispose of any left over remnants in a way that suits you. Throw it in the trash, a curse box, your jobs dumpster, just be eco-friendly please.

Incantation:

"May your lies and slander turn to dust,

In your mouth, words of me shall rust.

When you speak, the twine constrains,

Your words of me, bound in chains.

Feel the pressure, feel the strain,

Each attempt will be in vain.

By this candle, black as pitch,

Your mouth shall twitch, your tongue shall stitch.

Silence now, hold your breath,

Speak of me and feel my wrath.

This spell I weave, this curse I cast,

Keep my name out of your fucking mouth,

And let this silence last."

Purchase these grimoire prints on my Etsy! 

A Crash Course in Warding

Let’s just start a series of crash courses in witchcraft, since sometimes we need to learn things the quick and dirty way. Today, let’s talk about wards.

What are wards? Wards are protective energy barriers. They keep things out. You can place them around your home, certain rooms, even on certain objects. With practice and clear intentions, you can focus the wards to block out everything or only certain things. We’ll get to that in a bit.

Why should I ward my space and my things? Wards can keep out all sorts of things you don’t want in your home. They can block out negative entities, wayward spirits, mischievous entities, demons, and (if you’re really good at what you’re doing) even gods. Some people ward their divination tools so they know there are no spirits tampering with the results.

So what do I need to do first? Cleanse. This is very important. Wards are kind of like walls, or perhaps more accurately, bubbles. If you don’t clean the space first, you might trap things inside your ward bubble. You do not want that. There are lots of methods of cleansing, from burning sage to spritzing oil-infused water. Find a method you’re comfortable with and cleanse everything you’re going to be warding.

I’ve cleansed my home/item. Now what? Now we ward. I’m going to give you a couple methods. Let’s start with my favorite, incense warding.

Incense warding can also be done with spritzes of water/essential oil blends or herb-infused water if you can’t have smoke in your space. Whichever you’re using, you want to have a blend of protective herbs. Bay leaves, cinnamon, ginger, mustard seed, and salt are some great options that you can find in the grocery store, no fancy witch shop necessary. If you’re using incense, make sure you’re using natural incense and not super cheap stuff that’s artificially scented. The magic is in the herbs, and you won’t get that from fake scents.

How to Incense/Spritz Ward an Item

Smoke or spray item.

Visualize the smoke or spray clinging to the item and wrapping around it like a tight blanket, protecting it from anything that would cause harm (or interference, etc.).

How to Incense/Spritz Ward Your Space

Pick a place to start. I always start at my altar, but it’s up to you. If you’re doing multiple floors, start either at the top or bottom floor.

Moving continuously to your right, smoke or spray along the walls and door frames. As you go, imagine a barrier being formed around the walls, ceiling, and floor, pushing outwards to fill the room. Visualize the smoke or spray forming the barrier to keep out anything that will do you harm. [If you have a hard time with visualization, you can simply focus on the intent of the smoke or spray keeping things out.]

Keep moving right, following the layout of your home, making sure you get all the closet spaces. You basically want to outline the entire area you’re protecting, whether it’s you’re room or your whole house.

For multiple floors, repeat on each level.

For big layouts where there are rooms in the middle, go around those rooms as well.

I like to reinforce the wards over outside doors, windows, and mirrors. These are all passages of sorts, and when I reach them, I use the incense to draw a pentagram in the air over them. This is entirely up to you.

You’re done when you’ve reached the point where you began.

So why do we go to the right? Is that important? Kind of. Going to the right is like going clockwise. It’s about making things and progression, where going to the left or counter-clockwise is about deconstruction or reversal. [I read this idea in a witchy book a long time ago and will try to find a source when I can. If you honestly don’t feel it makes a difference, do whatever you’re comfortable with.]

Can I place wards that keep out certain things but not others? Sure. When you’re going around your space/warding your item, your intent is what’s important. I like to ward out entities that mean harm - it’s nice and general and doesn’t keep the fae out. Some people might want certain spirits and not others. Have your intentions clear in your mind as you place your wards.

That’s neat and all, but what are some other ways to ward? Let’s list a few.

Symbol/Sigil Wards

Choose (or make) a symbol or sigil that has protective properties. I’ve done this with Pluto’s astrological symbol because I worship him and it’s my way of being like, “Hey, Pluto. Please protect me, kthanxbai.” Pentagrams are nice and basic witchy/pagan symbols if you like them.

Draw the symbol over doors and windows. You do not literally have to draw it. It can be in water, incense smoke, or just your finger against the surface if you want.

As you’re drawing, make sure you have your intentions in mind - that nothing harmful can pass through this door, that the windows remain closed against entities, etc.

Energy Bubbles (if you have control over your energy)

Pick an item - any item.

Get your warding intentions in mind.

Channel lots of energy into the item. Visualize it emanating from the item in a bubble to fill your space.

If you’ve got mad skillz, you can form the bubble to the walls and be super exact with where its barriers are.

Vocal Wards

If you like spoken (or thought) spells, come up with a small chant to protect your space.

You can repeat this chant as you focus on your item being protected or as you walk around your home, protecting every room.

This is really great to incorporate into basically any other form of warding and gives your magic an extra bit of oomph.

I’ve heard wards can “fade” over time. True or false? Wards are just energy. Like all energies, they can disperse and weaken over time, or if something particularly nasty puts effort into destroying them. Redo your wards every so often (I do mine every few months, but it’s up to you), and especially before spiritual interactions. I also like to do mine after I’ve had lots of company, to kind of clear out family’s lingering energies and reinforce what I don’t want in my house.

In general, the intent of your wards is the most important part. Know what you want to keep out. This concludes our crash course on warding. Now go forth and protect some stuff!

I didnt dedicate a journal, but I would write "dear _" letters at the start of my encounters. Id like to do so again, I might take this idea up.

🌙 deity devotion journals

if you’re anything like me, the desire to meet and communicate with a new deity might be stunted by the idea of actually, ya know, communicating. whatever the reason (you don’t use divination, cant speak aloud, are afraid of being overheard, can’t meditate easily, etc.), initiating contact with deities can seem intimidating, and might even deter you from following the god or pantheon at all. but rest assured, there are easier and more discreet methods of talking, other than whipping out a dozen tarot decks and chanting pagan prayers

💫Why a Devotional Journal? What Is It?

devotional journals are journals dedicated to a specific deity or pantheon, where you can write messages, prayers, questions, or anything else you’d like to speak with Them about. i like to think of these journals like writing letters to a good friend- except your good friend is also a god!

☀️Beginning a Devotional Journal

depending on personal preference, this can be as intricate or as simple as you please. if you feel inclined to introduce yourself, explain what you’re doing or why you’re keeping a journal, or anything else, then feel free to! when i started mine i kept it as easy as writing “dear Apollo,” in a composition notebook, then explained my reasons and goals for keeping a journal specifically for Him. so honestly? go wild

⚡️What To Put in a Devotional Journal

prayers

Their name written in its orignal language

stories about your day

your relationship goals

tarot spreads for/to Them

song lyrics

poetry

hymns

Their family tree

things like the delphic maxims (hellenic) or 10 commandments (christian)

pressed flowers

printed pictures of what They look like to you

artwork

a list of things you associate with Them

gratitudes

what your altar to Them looks like (or what you wish it could look like)

messages you’ve received from Them

devotional acts

sigils/runes/etc

Their symbols

Their myths and lore

offering ideas

Their sacred animals, plants, cities, etc

famous works about Them

if you can think of anything else to put in a devotion journal, please feel free to add on! no matter how crazily beautiful or inconspicuously simple you make yours, the important thing to remember is your gods appreciate all efforts to strengthen your relationship with Them

-Mason Lane

Beltane

may 1st

(bealtaine, cétamain, boaldyn, beltany, calan mai, may day, walpurgis nacht, floralia)

from gaelic “bael” (bright fire)

festival of sunlight, fertility, fire

honors Irish god of fire, Bel

the first day of summer in celtic tradition

the day cows are put out into the pastures

in norse myth, this is the time Othan hung himself from Yggdrasil and learned the runes

foods

sweets/honey

leafy greens

shellfish (aphrodisiac)

oats

strawberries

honey mead, ale, herbal wines

ice tea, lemonade

activities

dancing around the maypole

morris dancing

balefires (use oak, apple, hawthorn, birch, elder, ash, blackthorn, grape vine, mountain ash (rowan), holly, willow, cedar, yew, and hemlock)

decorating with hawthorn branches

divination

fertility rituals

visit a well

make and wear leaf masks

wash your face with dew for beauty

purify with ashes

corrospondences

herbs: all-heal, blessed thistle, broom, curry, daffodil, dogwood, coriander, dragon's blood reed, fern, fireweed, nettle, flaxseed, hawthorn, marjoram, paprika, radish, rue, snapdragon, mushroom, almond, meadowsweet, rose, woodruff, tansy, elder leaves

incence: jasmine, musk, ylang ylang, rose, vanilla

colors: pink, crimson, violet, yellow, rainbow

stones: carnelian, emerald, rose quartz, bloodstone, citrine

animals: rabbit, goat, bee, cat, satyr

Calan Mai (Wales)

known as an ysbrydnos (spirit night)

starts on may eve

singing may carols

couples go into the woods to spend time alone and picnic

Walpurgis Nacht (Germans)

days to celebrate St. Walpurga

begins april 30 and ends on may day

St. Walpurga healed, and protected

they say her tomb produces healing oil

bonfires were lit to drive off spirits

Floralia (Italy)

roman holiday of flowers

honors goddess Flora

april 28 to may 3

included nude dances, gladiator shows, release of hares and goats, scattering seeds

Solar Charged Heat Ward

an old spell of mine i had posted on an old side account before deleting the blog, but i’m reposting it here on my new witchcraft side blog. a jar spell that charges in the sun to keep your space protected. this ward is strongest in late spring and summer.

☀️ gather: jar, black tea leaves, green tea leaves, cayenne pepper, apple seed, black candle

☀️ light your black candle

☀️ layer the ingredients one by one into your jar. black tea grounds to expel negative energy and entities, green tea leaves to amplify energy and behave as a catalyst, cayenne pepper for offensive magic/quick results/heat, then one by one place a desired amount of apple seed*

☀️ as you drop your apple seed, affirm “for every attack on this ward, it is reflected to the attacker ten times the amount for every apple seed in this jar”

☀️ spit inside the jar and seal with candle wax

☀️ place in a section of your home where it can be in direct sunlight and recharge (or reheat) as needed.

*while apple seed may be used as a love spell ingredient, due to the resin properties within it can also be used for curses*

Did my 1st simmer pot yesterday, setting intentions for the new year.